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One Day at a Time- part 1

By: Uncle_Brainhorn on Jul 4th, 2012  |  syntax: None  |  size: 11.23 KB  |  hits: 768  |  expires: Never
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  1. THIS STORY CONTINUES FROM PICKING UP THE PIECES
  2.  
  3. >After finishing your breakfast, you leave Scootaloo to get settled into the basement.
  4. >Leaving the bakery, you head toward city hall to see the mayor.
  5. >Maybe she can help you get your house built.
  6. >You're not entirely sure if she's the right person to see about it, but you can't think of anyone else who could help.
  7. >It's been a few hours since you and Scootaloo first walked through town, so everyone is awake at this time of day.
  8. >Of course this means more stares.
  9. >You pay them no mind as you trek toward the mayors office.
  10. >The nippy fall air causes you to shiver, slightly.
  11. >You'll need to buy a jacket, soon.
  12. >Eventually, you find the mayors office.
  13. >Compared to the rest of the town, it's actually quite bland looking.
  14. >Must be going for a more professional look.
  15. >When you get closer, you also realize just how tiny it is.
  16. >As you open the door and duck inside,  your head actually touches the ceiling.
  17. >Seems to be a theme, that.
  18. >A pony sits behind a desk, in front of you.
  19. >She must be the secretary.
  20. >As you approach, she looks up at you with a disinterested look.
  21. >"Ya hear to see the mayor, toots?"
  22. >Wow her voice is annoying.
  23. "Um. Yes, I am."
  24. >"D'ya got an appointement?"
  25. "No, I didn't know I'd need one."
  26. >She gives an irritated sigh.
  27. >"Please have a seat over there," she says, pointing to the corner of the room.
  28. >There aren't even any chairs there.
  29. >"The mayor will see you when she's ready."
  30. >Wth few other options, you go stand and wait.
  31.  
  32. ----
  33.  
  34. >No less than three hours later, you finally leave the office.
  35. >Talking to the mayor only took a few minutes.
  36. >The rest of the time was spent just waiting around while the secretary shot dirty looks at you.
  37. >The mayor herself was pleasant enough to talk to, at least.
  38. >She had a warm personality, even if she did seem a bit distant.
  39. >More importantly, she was actually able to help.
  40. >She told you she would notify a contractor as soon as she was able.
  41. >Thankfully, the estimate was also much lower than you were expecting.
  42. >The house would cost more than normal since it would be built for your height, but still well below how much you had.
  43. >It seems that when some of the builders can use magic, it cuts down on the cost of labor.
  44. >Still, she told you to expect two months at the very least.
  45. >Hopefully Pinkie lets you stay that long.
  46. >Maybe you can help her out in the bakery or something.
  47. >Anything so you seem less useless.
  48. >Before you can make it too far, you heard someone call for you.
  49. >"Hey Anon, wait up!"
  50. >It sounds like Rainbow Dash.
  51. >After a quick look around, sure enough, she's flying down toward you.
  52. >Once again, she stops and hovers a few feet in front of you, but this time she looks much more relaxed.
  53. >"So, how did it ago? Was she happy to see you?"
  54. >You nod with a small smile.
  55. "Yeah, she was."
  56. >"What happened last night? I looked all over but couldn't find you."
  57. " Sorry. I ended up sleeping with Scootaloo."
  58. >"WHAT!?"
  59.  
  60. ----
  61.  
  62. >Wow, that was smooth.
  63. "No, no! Not like that!"
  64. >Rainbow Dash is in your face in an instant.
  65. >"Explain yourself. Now."
  66. "Alright, alright!" You said, taking a step back.
  67. "Just give me a bit of space."
  68. >She crosses her front legs as she stares at you.
  69. "After dinner, when I was heading home, I saw two stallions following her."
  70. >Rainbow's expression softens into a concerned look.
  71. "I chased after them, and found them harassing her at her house. I started to leave, but she asked me to stay with her. So, I did."
  72. >Rainbow Dash had a troubled expression on her face.
  73. >"I gotta go, Anon. I should talk to Scootaloo."
  74. >She starts to fly off toward Scootaloos house, but you stop her.
  75. "Wait! She's not there!"
  76. >She zips back over to you.
  77. >"Then where is she?"
  78. "The bakery."
  79. >"Why is she at the bakery?"
  80. >You can feel your face redden.
  81. "She's staying there will me until my house is built."
  82. >She raises an eyebrow at you.
  83. >"And where will she stay when it's finished?"
  84. >You're definitely blushing now.
  85. "I, uh. I offered to let her live with me."
  86. >Her expression is hard to read as she hovers there, staring at you.
  87. >Suddenly, she swoops in and hugs you.
  88. >Pulling away, she's smiling, and has tears in her eyes.
  89. >"Thank you."
  90. >With that, she flies off.
  91.  
  92. ----
  93.  
  94. >As you open the door to the bakery, the bell lets out a merry jingle.
  95. >Within a second, Pinkie is beside you.
  96. >You're never going to get used to that.
  97. >"So?"
  98. "Hello to you, too. And so what?"
  99. >"So how did it go, silly?"
  100. "The mayor told me she would make the proper arrangements. I just have to pay for it."
  101. >You unconciously swallow nerviously.
  102. "She said it would probably take at least two months, though."
  103. >"Well, that's not so bad!"
  104. "Two months is a long time, though. Are you sure you're ok with us staying so long?"
  105. >Pinkie gives you a quizzical look.
  106. >"Of course! You two are my friends. You can stay as long as you need!"
  107. >She flashes you a  wide smile, and hops back off into the kitchen.
  108. >You're left standing there, awkwardly, in the midde of the room.
  109. >It's odd to be treated so nicely.
  110. >Shaking the thought from your mind, you head down the stairs to the basement to check on Scootaloo.
  111.  
  112. ----
  113.  
  114. >The room looks a little different from when you left.
  115. >Scootaloo's pictures were now hanging on stone wall of the basement.
  116. >There are also more blankets on the floor next to the old ones, doubling the width of the makeshift bed.
  117. >Scootaloo herself is pulling her pillow from her bag when she happens to notice you.
  118. >"Hey, you're back!"
  119. "Yep. Settling in well?"
  120. >"Mm-hm!" She replies with a smile.
  121. >She carries her pillow over to the bed and plops it down.
  122. >It's muddy and you can smell it.
  123. "Uh, Scootaloo? Don't you think you should use something else?"
  124. >"But that's all I have." Her face falls after saying it.
  125. >You open Pinkie's cupboard and search for an extra pillow.
  126. >Finding one, you snag it, and close the door.
  127. >You knock Scootaloo's filfthy pillow away with your foot, and place the fresh one down.
  128. "I'm sure Pinkie won't mind you using this until we can get you a new one."
  129. >She doesn't reply.
  130. >She still looks pretty sad.
  131. >Better change the conversation.
  132. "Aren't the beds kind of close?"
  133. >Ok, not THAT, you idiot.
  134. >She immediately blushes and begins to stammer.
  135. >"O-oh! Well, I can move-"
  136. "No, no! It's fine. I just... everything is happening at once, you know? It's just so different than what I'm used to."
  137. >There you go, mentioning prison again.
  138. >You should stop doing that.
  139. >"So... what's in the bag?"
  140. >She points at the bag with your apple brandy.
  141. "Let me show you."
  142.  
  143. ----
  144.  
  145. >About an hour later, one of the bottles is gone.
  146. >You're pretty tipsy, but Scootaloo is trashed.
  147. >She has a startling low tolerance for alcohol.
  148. >Must be because of her small size.
  149. >Still, you wish you had known ahead of time.
  150. >You wouldn't have let her have so much.
  151. >She's swaying all over the place, and can't talk without slurring.
  152. >It's not very late, but she should probably sleep this off.
  153. >You wobble slightly as you climb to your feet.
  154. >Maybe you're more drunk than you thought.
  155. >She lets out a "woo" as you scoop her up in your arms.
  156. >You lay her as gently as you can down on her side of the makeshift bed.
  157. >"Thank you, Anonymous." She slurs slightly, with a small sigh.
  158. >"You're a good friend, you know that?"
  159. "I try my best." You reply with a smile.
  160. >"You're my BEST friend. You never adandoned me like my other friends..."
  161. >She begins to tear up.
  162. >Oh boy.
  163. >Better try and stop this before it begins.
  164. >Sitting down beside her, you roll her onto her back.
  165. >You gently rub her belly and hum a tune to her.
  166. >You don't know any lullabies or anything, but you try to hum something relaxing.
  167. >Her tears stop and she begins to relax, a content smile on her face.
  168. >Within minutes, she's out like a light.
  169. >Slowly and carefully, you lean over and give her a kiss on the nose.
  170. "Sleep well."
  171.  
  172. ----
  173.  
  174. >You head up the stairs to the bakery as quietly as you can.
  175. >Pinkie is sweeping the floor as you enter.
  176. >Must be past closing time.
  177. >She waves when she sees you.
  178. >"Heya, Anon!"
  179. "Hey, Pinkie."
  180. >"Where's Scootaloo?"
  181. "She's, uh... she's asleep."
  182. >She frowns.
  183. >"So early?"
  184. "Yeah, she was pretty tired."
  185. >She narrows her eyes at you.
  186. >"Have you been drinking, Anon?"
  187. "I had a little to drink, yes."
  188. >She stares at you for a few more seconds, before instantly returning to her cheerful nature.
  189. >"Okie dokie, then! Say, I was just making dinner. Wanna join me?"
  190. >You consider declining, but you haven't eaten since this morning.
  191. "Sure, that sounds nice. Just no candy or anything."
  192. >"Pfffft. Candy for dinner! You're silly, Anon!"
  193. >Not the reply you expected from Pinkie, of all ponies.
  194. >You take a seat at the small dinner table.
  195. >A few moments later, she carries a tray in.
  196. >On it are two plates of macaroni and cheese, two salad, and two glasses of what look like soda.
  197. >She places the tray on the table and takes a seat across from you.
  198. >"Here you go. Dig in!"
  199. >You nod, and take your portion of the food from the tray.
  200. >The food is very good.
  201. >Seems Pinkie's cooking ability extends beyond just baked goods.
  202. "I just wanted to say thank you, Pinkie. I'm more grateful than you could know."
  203.  
  204. ----
  205.  
  206. >She gives a quick giggle.
  207. >"It's just mac and cheese!"
  208. "No, I mean thank you for everything. Taking me in. Helping Scootaloo. It just means a lot to me. To us."
  209. >"It's no problem at all, Anon."
  210. "Well, still. You're a good friend."
  211. >She flashes you a smile before going back to her meal.
  212.  
  213. >Finishing your dinner, you push your plate away and get up from the table.
  214. >You offer to help with the dishes, but Pinkie insists she can handle them.
  215. >Defeated, you head downstairs to the basement.
  216. >Scootaloo is still asleep, sprawled sideways over the blankets.
  217. >She is NOT going to have fun in the morning.
  218. >Oh well, nothing to do now.
  219. >You may as go to sleep, too.
  220. >As gently as you can, you move her to her own side of the bed.
  221. >She didn't even stir.
  222. >Dead to the world, that one.
  223. >Laying down beside her, you lightly rest your hand her side.
  224. >She's warm, and unbelievably soft.
  225. >Her calm, steady breathing is strangely relaxing.
  226. >Within minutes, you're out, too.
  227.  
  228. ----
  229.  
  230. >You open your eyes to find pitch darkness.
  231. >It'd probably be a good idea to put a lamp or something down here.
  232. >Letting out a yawn, you notice a familiar pressure on your chest.
  233. >Reaching up to investigate, sure enough, you find Scootaloo, curled up on your chest again.
  234. >It's pretty warm in here, so it can't be because she was cold.
  235. >She must just like it, there.
  236. >That's fine; you don't mind it.
  237. >You absently begin to stroke her mane.
  238. >She sighs softly, and gently nuzzles your chest.
  239. >She's fond of doing that.
  240. >Once again, you don't mind.
  241. >A thought begins to form in your head, though.
  242. >What does she see you as?
  243. >A friend?
  244. >Or more?
  245. >She certainly seems close to you, but at the same time, she's never flirted with you or anything.
  246. >And more than that, what do you think of her?
  247. >You clear the thought from your mind.
  248. >This is something to think about later when you have a clear mind.
  249. >And also when she's not laying right on you.
  250. >It'd be easy for that to sway your opinion.
  251. >Right now, she's here with you, that's good enough.
  252. >You gently run your fingers through her hair until sleep takes you again.
  253. >You can't see it, but there's a smile on her face.